Validity of the Potentials of Hg

Abstract

The scattering of 300-eV electrons from atomic Hg was used to study the validity of some recently published analytical potentials. Comparison with experimental data showed rather poor agreement with a potential derived on a nonrelativistic basis and good agreement with a potential derived on a relativistic basis. The best agreement has been achieved by adding to the scattering potential an exchange contribution due to exchange between the incoming electron and the target electrons. Experiment and theory are found to deviate significantly at the minima in the differential cross section.